Montserrat- LIC

General information

Island arc formed due to the Alantic plate subductind beneath the Caribbean plate
Most of the island here where formed due to violent eruptions
Rich volcanonic soil, so tropical vegetation and cash crops such as cotton can be grown here
Built of volcanic rock
It is 16km long and 10km wide

1 of 5

July 1995 Chances Peak began erupting ash
Scientists began montioring gasses, microquakes and changes in the volcanoes shape
One month later the entire south of the population was evacuated to the north to live in church and school halls
April 1995, the entire population of plymouth was evacuated
July 1997 Chances Peak catrosphically erupted
Five million cubic meters of rock and ash flew down the sides
the south was covered in pyroclastic flows of hot mud, rock and ash

2 of 5

19 killed in fires due to pyroclastic flows
burn and inhailation injuries
2/3 of buildings flattened by ash and mud
3/4 of farmland lost
More than half of the 11,000 population was evacuated to the USA, UK or Antiguia
Feb, 2010, Chances Peak erupted 15km of ash
10% of the lave dome collapsed leading to more pyroclastic flows and ash fall

3 of 5

Observatory was set up
Red Cross provided temporary shelter, food, water snd medical care
Warning systems where set up with speaker systems, sirens and via the media
The US military and Bitish Navy helped with the evacuation process
£17 million was set up to provide temporary housing and water purifacition systems by the UK

4 of 5

3 year re-development programe set up by the UK for housing, infrastructure, medical services,arigculture and schools
Top heavy population as the younger generations saw no economic future
In 2005 people started to move back to the south of the island
Vegetation is starting to re-grow as lava and ash breakdown
Fertile soil means crops can be grown there
New airports, hotels and a dive shop have opened in hopes the tourists will return

5 of 5